Madieu Williams inactive for Texans

By Mark Curnutte
Enquirer staff writer

The Bengals have suffered one of the first big losses of the season when free safety Madieu Williams was deactivated for today’s game with Houston.

Williams injured his shoulder Friday during practice and was favoring his left arm on the way to the locker room.

He is believed to have a torn labrum, similar to the injury suffered by linebacker Landon Johnson last season.

Williams’ injury has forced two changes in the starting lineup: Strong safety Kevin Kaesviharn moves back to free safety, and first-year Bengal Ifeanyi Ohalete will start at strong safety.

The other Bengals inactive players for the Texans: wide receiver Kelley Washington, fullback Nick Luchey, center Eric Ghiaciuc, defensive end Jonathan Fanene, linebacker Larry Stevens and defensive tackle Matthias Askew.

Washington is inactive for the third consecutive week. Rookie Chris Henry, who has eight receptions and one touchdown, has established himself as the team’s third wide receiver.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com